Now I have tons of shoes. Most that are 7-15 years old like the ratty old athletic shoes that I wear mostly for yard work < snort > and the occasional jaunt to 7-11, the cowboy boots that no longer fit (I love those boots) because I wear slippers a lot these days my feet spread, the sporty athletic shoes I got last year that haven’t seen nearly as much walking as intended and a many shoes that looked great but feel like I have been sentenced to torture. (Didn’t they used to bind the feet of Chinese women? You get the idea.)
Well, since I hate shopping in stores, I have taken to online ordering. The problem is I have funky feet so my new love is ordering clog and clog like shoes on the internet because you can rarely go wrong with clogs. They are usually wider, easier to fit and most are very well constructed.
Last summer I purchased three pair of the most comfortable clogs that I have ever owned. Soft suaded leather in three different colors from Italy, not cheap. Later on I purchased some Australian “clogs” with a higher back, soft lambs skin with wool inside with a hefty sole that resembles a rubber hiking sole. That pair was the highest price I ever spent on a shoe except for my cowboy boots.
Today I just ordered the most expensive (again less than the cowboy boots) boot/clog from the 'net. They are from Dansko, the Tristan Boot. http://www.dansko.com/tristan.html These look better in a catalog than they do on the net.
But I am concerned about myself. I used to pride myself on not owning tons of shoes. I thought of myself as the non-typical woman, that a shoe must be functional and not pretty. Now I am falling in love with the clog idea because I can try them on in the privacy of my home. I can surf through catalogs and the internet to find the right deal and style rather than from shop to shop wasting time, money and placing myself in the arena of potential panic attacks.
Does anyone else have a fascination with shoes? Come on ladies (and guys) tell me about your shoe fantasies. Give me some reassurance that is only in passing that I will lose my need to buy cute clogs and clog like shoes.
I have a total fascination with shoes and office supplies, among other things. Recently I’ve been buying shoes online from newport news.com. I do not recommend their shoes.
I’m a firm believer in "you get what you paid for " when it comes to shoes. Cheap shoes hurt your feet! No shoe is worth walking in to a board meeting with ground beef-like bleeding blisters on your heels. I’d rather pay the extra money and wear good shoes that don’t have to be broken in.
Have you tried Birkenstock clogs? I hear they’re ultra-comfortable. Do they hold up? Example: Doc Martens tend to fall apart fast, thus killing my “expensive shoes are better” theory. I’m wondering if Birks will pass muster.
And, I must point out this is one of the few female stereotypes I exhibit, embrace and live for.
(A comfortable bra being the other female, lifelong “holy grail” type of quest. Wouldn’t you agree?)
Yes! I was thrilled to discover two of my housemates last year were also Staples junkies. I cannot get enough office supplies. I like shoes too–my mother teases me about how many shoes I own; she pretty much only buys those cheapie black slip-on shoes you get at KMart for $5.99, so I’ve kicked her out of the girl club. You gotta have shoes!
I disagree there. I have a pair of Docs boots that I bought a year ago that barely even look broken in. They’re comfortable as hell, I love 'em and rarely wear anything else on my feet from fall to spring. In the summer I break out the cute sandals, of course.
Office supplies, OMG, I am glad that I have panic attacks now in public places. I used to spend so much money on office supplies! Looking at pretty colored paperclips, special papers, fun pens. I was an office supply whore in a previous life.
As for Birkenstocks, I have never purchased a pair. They aren’t flattering on my feet, especially the sandals. I hate sandals as I have ugly feet. I have two pair of Teva sandals but only wear those when I know I might be in an area that I need some kind of foot protection while in water.
I don’t know, I spose I could look more at some of the Birkenstock clogs but they see oddly shaped, much more so than some of the other clogs out there.
As for Doc Martens, man I ran across a bunch of them at one of my favorite shoe places on the 'net…sorry but Doc Martens are freakin UGLY in my opinion. I haven’t seen any of their clogs but their boots remind me of my high school years and the “punks” (whom I loved many as dear friends) would wear those combat style boots. We have enough military around here that if I want to see someone in combat gear, I can go to the grocery store and see some flyboys (or girls) with their boots on.
Shoes, meh, I’m so-so on. I only have about ten or twelve pairs (1 pr runners, 3 prs black pumps, 1pr red pumps, 1pr burgundy pumps, 1 pr of abso-freakin-lutely adorable black strappy sandals,1 pr cream pumps, 1 pr dress boots, 2 prs hiking boots, and 2 prs winter boots). Look, they all have different functions, I have a good reason for all of them. Oh yeah, and the pair of riding boots I found at the Sally Ann…[sub]and the sneakers, and the gladiator sandals, shut UP I DO NOT have a shoe thing…[/sub]
Nail polish, now that’s my obsession. I’m up over thirty bottles, and I just bought five more today. I haven’t even worn all the ones I already have…
Not a big shoe person here but…
I do wear Birkenstock clogs, mainly for the support as I have chronic plantar fasciitis (and is it ever painful). I’ve only got two pair and I wear them all the time except when sleeping or showering. They are kind of expensive but they wear really well. I’ve only replaced the inserts once so far. I have to admit they aren’t too decorative though…
At one point in my life not to long ago I was a shoe salesman. (yes Al Bundy) I just can’t figure out what the whole shoe deal is. Ladies buy a pair for an outing or dance, then change with the outfit??? I don’t want to know. There are some thing that are best left unknown (shudder) :EEK:
I’ve never been able to understand the female fascination with these overpriced instruments of torture. I frequently end up in tears when shoe shopping, and wear one pair until they fall to pieces.
Once, as a teenager, I worked in a shoe store. My father joked that I worked like Al and lived like Peggy. Even being surrounded by shoes for my entire weekend didn’t inspire me to stock up on them, and I owned only three pairs of shoes at the height of my career in the footware industry.
I have a friend who must have 50 pairs of shoes. Whenever I visit her, she criticizes my footware, and gives me a pair of her shoes “…that I won’t wear again, I only bought them to match an outfit I was wearing because I left my other shoes at home”.
Hate shoes. If people would stop smashing glass on the sidewalks, I’d go barefoot most of the year.
Another one chiming in for Birkenstock clogs. I don’t find them very pretty, of course, but I don’t care. I’m on my feet all day and I desperately need shoes that don’t cripple me. I owned a pair of Dansko clogs that killed my feet after a few hours, so those had to go.
Other than that, I don’t bother much with shoes… I can’t stand wearing heels or anything like that.
I like going barefoot, but I’m a shoe-appreciater. Due to limited funds, I don’t buy a lot, but I have several pairs…the skate sneakers, the running shoes, the MaryJanes, the combat boots (the most comfortable pair, really), two sets of flipflops, sandals, strappy black formal shoes…
Yeah, I love shoes. But I love all kinds of jackets too.
Java, that’s strange. From my understanding, Dansko has the seal of approval from the “American Podiatric Medical Association.” I assume they are a prestigious organization but then again I am not up on medical orgs.
For a good set of clogs that you can actually wear for a long time, even while walking, I recommend “La Plume” as a manufacturer. My first pair replaced my Keds in Vegas when my insane father had to run from one casino to another and my feet were in so much pain I wanted to cry. Some shoe store in Ceaser’s palace I think. They don’t seem like they would be comfortable, really, but they are. I have owned 4 pair of their shoes and they are great.
Anyhoo, they are the Italian shoes I spoke about earlier. If you work on your feet I wouldn’t recommend them but if you are going on a casual date, they are worth every penny.
Ahhh, shoes. The typical female sterotype of us with a million shoes in the closet, and needing more because we don’t have a beige-with-brown-stripes-and-creme-spots to go with that particular outfit.
Me, I don’t follow that.
Boots, on the other hand…
I’ve got three pairs of black suede over-the-knee boots.
One pair of blue suede knee-high boots.
One pair of mid-calf length brown suede boots.
One pair of mid-calf black suede heeled boots.
One pair of just-below-the-knee black patent leather heeled boots.
One pair of just-below-the-knee black patent leather boots.
Three pairs of just-below-the-knee black suede boots.
[sup]peers at patent and doesn’t think that looks right. Close enough to get the meaning across though…[/sup]
(And the most I’ve paid for any given pair of boots was $10.)
I think I have maybe 6 pairs of ‘regular’ shoes (including sandles) in my closet.
